Padres Targeting 3 Struggling Starting Pitchers at Trade Deadline

The San Diego Padres aren't taking anything for granted when it comes to starting pitching depth.

Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta threw bullpen sessions on Saturday. Lucas Giolito was reported to be facing hitters "soon," but that was on July 21. No updates about his status have been provided since.

That's three-fifths of a starting rotation that is not meaningfully close to starting a big league game. While the Padres might be optimistic about Musgrove, Pivetta and Giolito returning this season, their patience must be tempered by the standings.

The Padres are one of five teams within four games of the third and final National League wild-card berth. Two of those teams — the St.Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals — are rebuilding clubs who are arriving in the middle of the pack ahead of schedule. They're unlikely to be major buyers in before the trade deadline arrives Monday afternoon.

The Padres (57-54) are too close not to go for it at the deadline. But does president of baseball operations A.J. Preller have the prospect capital to get an impact starter?

According to The Athletic, the Padres' trade targets include the Mets’ Freddy Peralta, the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman and the Reds’ Brady Singer.

Each of them has both strengths and flaws.

Singer, as noted by MLB.com's Travis Sawchik, is tied for 26th among pitchers in FanGraphs' version of WAR, in addition to posting a 2.37 ERA, over the last month.

It's easy to look at his 5-10 record, 5.17 FIP and 1.42 WHIP as negative indictments of his season as a whole, but the Padres don't need an ace. They just need to catch lightning in a bottle for two months.

Historically, Peralta offers the best chance of that. A two-time All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers, Peralta has struggled in his first season with the New York Mets (5-9, 4.99).

As with Singer, you can squint and see the bounce back potential in Peralta. Only three pitchers have a higher weighted on-base average (wOBA) than expected weighted on-base average, per Statcast. Escaping the Mets' porous defense should help Peralta lower his ERA.

Gausman, 35, still carries an effective split-fingered fastball, his signature pitch. Trouble is, he only throws two other pitches, a four-seam fastball and a slider, and they're not as effective as they were in his prime.

Gausman is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA. Like Peralta, he's been snakebit by the Blue Jays' defensive play. His 3.93 expected ERA, per Statcast, is more respectable than his 4.38 ERA and 5-10 record.

The Padres aren't in position to shop for a pitcher who will start Game 1 of a playoff series. For now, just getting to Game 1 is the goal.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google